As we all know, the market in the independent film world is changing. It is anybody's game and I've been a solid advocate of moving the ball into the hands of the filmmakers, keeping festivals strong and independent, as well as valuing alternative venues and independent film houses.
Nomadic Tendencies is the roaming arm of the Strasbourg International Film Festival which took SiFF into 8 venues throughout Strasbourg, France in it's first year, screened several of the films in Germany during the second year's festival and in SiFF's third year will bring both a 3-day retrospective and a 10-day film fest to the Beach Theater in St Pete Beach, FL.
One of the progressive moves SiFF's Nomadic Tendencies has made going into 2010 is its focused directive related to independent film distribution. The Beach Theater has agreed to give a limited theatrical run to any film playing at the SiFF Retro that sells out the 246 seat theater. The distribution deal will be a typical deal between the theater and independent filmmaker. In essence, the festival has helped facilitate self-distribution deals for filmmakers based on a film's performance during the festival run. The theater wants films that are in high demand and well received. Therefore, if a film sells out during its single screening during the retrospective then the theater is willing to bet that the film will play well during additional dates.
This is a win-win situation for all entities involved. The festival is most likely become more valuable to filmmakers as a result of the distribution opportunities available to films participating in the festival. The theater gains access indie films that it might not otherwise come in contact with and that it knows were well received. The filmmaker gets a foot in the door of self-distribution.
Many independent filmmakers still neglect promoting their films during festival dates. Rather, they tend to think that burden belongs to another. If the film is not in distribution (as is the case with most indie films particularly during the festival run) the responsibility of promotion belongs to the independent filmmaker. This sort of distribution opportunity makes it clear that a film can be self-distributed if the filmmaker is willing to put the effort into marketing and promoting their work. Every film has a niche. Every filmmaker has the opportunity to reach its potential audience and share their work. It is up to the filmmaker.
The time for change is here and it is happening. Many smaller, independent theaters have been going under because old ways of distribution no longer work. The Beach Theater is changing with the times and seeking advantageous strategies which will allow it to bring a wider range of films to its audience. The SiFF Retro is creating a mechanism by which the theater can pre-gauge independent films to see which are good fits for extended runs as a direct result of ticket sales. All the while, this strategy allows a tangible avenue to see real money for filmmakers as they are encouraged to reap the rewards of their savvy promotion and marketing skills.
Details: The Beach Theater has agreed to give qualifying films (films that sell out during the SiFF Retro) a 'limited theatrical run' of at least 3 screenings within the a year's time after the festival dates have ended. The deal a filmmaker works out with the theater will probably be dependent upon what the theater and filmmaker agree upon and how long they realistically feel the film can fill the seats. There is probably little reason to keep a film running longer than it can realistically hold an audience. The time period of within a year is to allow both parties time to be ready for a theatrical run. The theater will want the films to play in slots where they compliment other films in their line-up or where films are needed - not all weekends are big holiday weekends or leading up to the Oscars. Therefore, there is a lot of downtime when theaters have more wiggle room for what they screen. Additionally, an eligible film may want or need to wait until its festival run is over before going into an sort of distribution. This time frame allows flexibility for both entities. I hope these guidelines help other festivals, theaters and filmmakers when considering their options!
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Sunday, March 21, 2010
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